The Revenant
by Venath
Summary: One hundred years ago, the legendary Maverick Hunter Zero disappeared, leaving Mega Man X to fight for humanity. Now, the time has come for his return. A quasi-novelization of Mega Man Zero with some original elements thrown in.
1. The Revenant

Disclaimer: I don't own Mega Man Zero, or any of the other Mega Man stories. I don't even own all of the events in this story, as some of them are taken more or less directly from the game, what with it basically being a novelization of sorts.

AN: Well, this was running around in my head, so I figured I'd put it out here. I haven't exactly read many novelizations of MMZ, so I really hope it's not **too** similar to any others out there. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy.

"Talking"

_Thought_

**Time Passage**

* * *

_During the final days of the Maverick Wars, the Maverick Hunter known as Zero agreed to be placed in a voluntary stasis so that his allies could analyze him, hoping to find a method of counteracting the Maverick Virus released years before during his battle with then-Maverick Hunter Sigma, shortly after his first awakening. The analysis was successful, and resulted in the creation of a powerful being known as a Cyber Elf. Unfortunately, while the Cyber Elf created from these studies was capable of putting a permanent end to both the Maverick Virus and the Maverick Commander Sigma, it led to a greater threat than ever before. _

_A sadistic scientist known as Doctor Weil and his subordinate Omega gained control of the Cyber Elf that would come to be known as the Dark Elf, and lead a grueling four-year war that decimated both the human and reploid populations of the world. But the heroes of the Maverick Wars rose to meet the new threat as they always had before, and between the combined efforts of Maverick Hunters Axl, X and Zero, Weil and his subordinates were imprisoned and exiled. When the end of the new threat came, Zero ignored X's pleas and sealed himself in stasis once again, believing that the world might finally be able to find peace without his presence to instigate such conflicts. _

_With Zero's sacrifice, Mega Man X was left to fight for humanity's survival._

_One hundred years have passed since then, and with the rise of yet another threat, the end of the legendary Maverick Hunter's sleep has drawn near…_

* * *

**Underground Laboratory…**

"Dammit, they weren't supposed to be here!" Poulte backed around the corner, ignoring the energy blast that crashed against the wall beside his head, and leaning out to fire off a few shots as the rest of their team's survivors dashed around to join him in waiting for two of their fellow reploids to open the rusted door blocking their way. That rather simple statement pretty much covered any thoughts he had on their current situation.

This little expedition of theirs was supposed to have been a simple, painless retrieval mission. The lab they were investigating was supposed to be abandoned, and even their scouts hadn't been able to catch any sings activity in the facility. Yet mere minutes after they'd arrived, the humanoid Pantheon soldiers of Neo Arcadia had started swarming into the building, and most of their group had been slaughtered before they had the chance to react.

No, they certainly hadn't been prepared for an all out battle in close quarters, and especially not to protect the human leader of the Resistance against such odds. Glancing over at the teenage blonde prodigy, he tried not to let his nerves get the better of him. As it was, he blamed himself for their current predicament. He hadn't been nearly insistent enough on Ciel staying at their headquarters, and now they might all pay for that mistake. Frankly, he and Milan were the only genuine soldiers among the group. They were the only ones who had ever actually served in any kind of military organization, and even then they'd only been security guards.

Thankfully, their team's lack of experience was somewhat balanced out by their determination to protect the young girl. Deciding that their brief breather had gone on long enough, and seeing that they'd had managed to open the rusted door blocking their way, he urged her to continue.

"Miss Ciel, this way!" He placed his hand on her back and gently nudged her into action, not wanting to push the human too hard, but knowing that they couldn't stop for long. Their last man had just stepped through the door as an explosion rocked the halls around the corner. Milan, ever eager to lighten the mood, decided to voice the obvious.

"Guess they finally got around to using the heavy artillery, eh?" The two at the door forced it shut again, holding it and turning to look at Ciel.

"Miss Ciel, hurry!"

"We'll hold them off!" The rest of the team quickly voiced their agreement with the statement, and Poulte gave them a respectful nod before rushing to join Milan, who was already pulling the blonde along with him, the little Cyber Elf that was constantly at her side trailing behind them. Even at a distance, the sadness in their leader's eyes at the thought of leaving her friends to die was glaringly obvious.

Within a matter of minutes, and after sealing or trapping several more doors along the way, it became clear that they'd chosen the right path. It might not have lead out, but the massive doors ahead of them were clearly designed to keep something out. _Or,_ the morbid thought crossed his mind, _to keep something in._

"A dead end!?" Ciel gasped the words as she tried to catch her breath, knowing that the men they'd left behind were probably already dead, and that the four of them would likely follow if they couldn't get through.

"No. I feel a strong energy inside. This must be the place." At that moment, as Passy stated what they'd all been hoping to hear, Poulte wasn't sure if he felt more excited or terrified. On one hand, if Passy's claim turned out to be true then it might have meant the salvation of the Resistance. If not, then their last hope and one of their only chances of raising morale among their "troops" would go up in flames. He pulled out what was left of the explosives he'd brought with him, and began setting them up along the door.

"Okay. Leave this to me! Stay back, Ciel." And in less than a minute, the door was blown inward. Or cracked inward just enough for them to get through, anyway. Those things were stronger than he'd expected, considering how old they supposedly were. Unfortunately, the noise had apparently drawn the attention of their pursuers, as an explosion sounded farther back down the halls, where they'd rigged several doors. Not willing to give up their chances when they were so close, he stood just inside the heavily reinforced entrance and signaled Milan to continue on without him.

"Milan, Miss Ciel, you should go. I'll take care of them." The far smaller entrance to the inner chamber didn't look nearly as powerful as the one they were standing at now, and he doubted it would take much effort to open. They didn't need him anymore, not if the one they were searching for was truly behind those doors.

"But Poulte…"

"Get going, now!" Ciel's hesitance only lasted slightly longer than Milan's. So with one last look at the trio leaving him, Poulte prepared to make what he was pretty certain would be his final stand.

As Poulte was preparing to hold off the Neo Arcadian forces coming ever closer, Ciel and Milan had confirmed their hopes once and for all. The chamber was dimly lit, and the figure ahead of them was far from being in perfect condition, but even as he knelt in the center of a shattered pod once used to hold beings in a sleeplike state there was something clearly different about him. Milan, strangely, was the first to voice the realization.

"This must be..." Somehow, he'd thought the former Hunter would seem more impressive. His red armor was faded and cracked, and he certainly wasn't the cleanest reploid he'd ever seen. Then again, he supposed that he shouldn't have expected something tha had been sitting in a wrecked underground cavern to be in mint condition.

"This...must be Zero..." Ciel, on the other hand, was marveling at the being before her. He was clearly damaged by time, but merely being in the presence of someone that must have been several centuries old, even after all that he'd gone through, was an amazing feeling for a scientist.

"We found him at last!" He reached towards the red-armored reploid as if to shake him awake, but was violently thrown back with a cry as his hand made contact with the energy field surrounding him. Apparently, he **really** hadn't wanted anything to awaken him without permission.

"It's protected." The Cyber Elf hovering around Ciel's head spoke as if she knew something that they didn't. As if she'd somehow expected this.

"What should I do…" There had to be something that he could do to bring the barrier down. Explosives were out of the question. They'd used what little they had left to open the doors guarding this area of the facility, and in such a confined space they'd probably end up killing themselves anyway, and it still might not be enough to drop the shield.

"Just a second." She was glancing around the room, trying to find some kind of computer terminal that might still be intact. Most of the facility was wrecked, but as far as Milan knew, if the barrier was still working properly, then it probably meant something else was functioning.

But as they heard a hail of gunfire from the outer chamber, followed shortly by Poulte's cry of pain, they knew they were out of time.

"Ciel, watch out!" He lunged at Ciel and pulled her behind him, turning to face the attackers that would soon be making their appearance. They didn't disappoint him, as moments later several Pantheons burst in, luckily armed with the close-range saber buster arms rather than the buster cannons that gave them such an advantage over regular weaponry. He put several rounds into their legs, knowing that it would at least buy them a few seconds, and turned to grab Ciel's arm.

"Damn, we're cornered! We've gotta evacuate, now!" It was over. They simply didn't have the time to free Zero, and when Neo Arcadia managed to get its hands on him…

"But…"

"No time to argue, come on! It's too la-" He never saw the blast coming, as the buster cannon-wielding Pantheons entered the room made their move while he made to grab her.

"Milan!" She fell to her knees as she caught the fallen reploid, wrapping her arms around his body as if to protect it from the approaching hunters. At Ciel's shock, Passy began frantically circling the two.

"Ciel! Hey, Ciel!"

"Huh?"

"You have to use my power! There's no other choice!" Somehow, Passy had known that it would come to this. Even before they'd been ambushed, she'd had the feeling that the time for her to serve her purpose was about to come.

"What? No! Passy, if I do that you'll be…" Though Passy had to admit, the last thing she wanted to do was leave Ciel right after the young girl had lost one of her best friends. And for a moment, she considered trying to find a way to escape, to keep Ciel from losing yet another friend. But the Pantheons were coming closer, and…

"Don't worry about me Ciel. Remember, everyone back home is waiting for you to come back. They need you more than me." They needed Ciel, but they needed Zero as well. Even if by some miracle they did manage to escape now, leaving without Zero would doom her to losing **everyone** she cared about. Yet she knew that regardless of that fact, Ciel wouldn't be able to live with it if she felt that she'd forced on of her friends to sacrifice herself.

"Ciel, please, let me do this." She had to understand that this was what Passy _wanted_, not just something that she had to do as a duty.

"…Okay. Okay, you're right. Passy, thank you." And Passy smiled, tried to assure her master and friend that she was doing the right thing. That she was allowing her to sacrifice herself for something that _mattered_, and not just letting her fade away.

"No. I should thank you, Ciel. Goodbye…"

Ignoring the young scientist's cry, she charged the dark barrier, allowing her own energy to merge with that of the field surrounding the reploid of legend. A bright light flashed as the systems controlling the barrier overloaded, forcing Ciel to turn away and drawing a curious pause from the Pantheons that were slowly but surely closing in on their human target. The light faded away, and Ciel's eyes began to focus, widening in surprise at the sight before her.

The legendary hero of the Maverick Wars, released from his bonds, remained kneeling on the ground, no signs of life present in the broken shell.

* * *

AN: Probably not my greatest work, but certainly not my worst. It could probably use a little more editing, but I felt like I needed to get it out. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you guys think, as always. Until next time.


	2. Resistance

Disclaimer: I don't own MMZ. Or MMX. Or MM. Or anything in the series, really. But I'm sure you already know that.

AN: Hey, long time no see, everyone. Despite popular belief, this story hasn't died. Much like the rest of my stories, it was just knocked unconscious while real life proceeded to beat me upside the head with vigor. But updates should come a lot quicker from now on, so with that out of the way…On to the story!

"Talking"

_Thought_

**Time Passage**

* * *

Miles away from the ancient ruins, the scene playing out was far less chaotic…Or perhaps to be more accurate, it was a more controlled form of chaos. Technicians and navigators scurried about, a seemingly constant feed of information being relayed from station to station, person to person, giving orders, taking in reports, keeping a close, watchful eye on well over a dozen missions. In the meantime, a tall Reploid clad in a formal green trench coat stood, calmly watching over the command center, dark eyes scanning across the various stations. He was torn away from his observation as one of the navigators called up to him.

"Sir, we're getting a transmission from Retrieval Group A-15. The target has been captured, but there's been contact with another unidentified Reploid."

"An unidentified Reploid?" _Retrieval Group A-15…That was the one targeting Miss Ciel._ "Do we have a visual?"

"We're receiving the image now, Commander. I'll put it up on the main screen." As the image flickered to life, Commander Decom leaned in on the railing, eyes trailing over the unfamiliar design of the red humanoid.

_Interesting. I don't believe I've ever seen a design quite like that._ "Navigator Sivex, is there anything on record matching what we're seeing here?" The Drones could identify most common mechaniloid designs or Reploids that were priority targets, but the historical archives could only be accessed directly from a command center, and would undoubtedly have more information than the mindless soldiers. Of course, a great deal of their information had been lost during the Elf Wars and the aftermath of said wars, but its contents were still quite impressive.

"I ran the image through the database as soon as we received it. The results are inconclusive, Sir. There are no exact matches. The archives did have a number of possible matches based on its basic design, but…"

"Yes?"

"Sir, the closest match is Master X." Any attention that wasn't absolutely necessary to an active mission was now focused on the conversation, and the bizarre red Reploid on which said conversation was based.

_What in the world?_ "I see. I assume there were other matches?"

"Yes Sir! The other possibilities were the Guardians," That was expected. If it was a model resembling Master X, then it was certainly within reason that it would match those who were designed based on the ruler of Neo Arcadia.

"The former Maverick known as Dynamo," And that clearly wasn't who they were looking at. Dynamo hadn't been seen in decades, ever since he'd been hired out by enemies of the peace who attempted to hijack a transport under General Harpuia's protection. The Guardian had dealt with **that** Maverick personally.

"And the last one was…"

"Yes?"

"Unknown, sir. It would seem that most of the data has been corrupted…Or deleted from the archives. No identification, no designer, it can't even provide an accurate timeline for when the schematics were made. It might have even come before Master X. Or it might have just been random plans that were abandoned and left on the record for the sake of accuracy."

It didn't sound good either way.

"Should we contact the General, Commander?" Commander Decom's lips twisted into an almost imperceptible frown at the question. His honor feud with the Neo Arcadian Guardian Generals was well known amongst their organization, and the fact that at least one of them still technically had control over each of their operations only made it worse, but he had never endangered his troops or a mission solely to keep the four from getting involved.

"No. There's no need to bother Guardian Fefnir with something so trivial. Interesting as it may be, it's none of our concern. Dispose of it." He couldn't allow Fefnir to get his hands on something like this. Though Master X hadn't had the heart to disband the Maverick Hunters, most of Neo Arcadia's military forces believed that it was quickly becoming a wasteful relic of the past. The fact that the few remaining heroes of the Elf Wars were retired or had gone Maverick as well didn't exactly discourage that kind of thought. If they had to summon one of the Guardians of Neo Arcadia because they couldn't even figure out what to do with one unidentified and clearly inactive Reploid (in the middle of a retrieval mission that should have been finished **days** earlier with the forces provided to them, no less), then Master X very well might decide that their time was up.

"Yes Sir!" Sivex turned around to send the order to the retrieval team, somewhat disappointed. While she understood the need to capture Ciel –the girl was supporting Mavericks after all- the idea of simply destroying a Reploid that looked like it may have been from the Elf War period without even studying it grated on the nerves of her inner scientist. Either way, they needed to build up their reputation with Neo Arcadia's military, and for that they needed the young woman that had betrayed the city. An old, deactivated Reploid didn't quite qualify as a high priority in comparison.

* * *

He'd been to the cyber world before. Even as murky as his mind was, that fact hadn't escaped him, and likely never would. Death, at least for one of his kind, wasn't an experience that even amnesia could erase completely. Not that he had complete amnesia anyway, not from what he could understand. He knew his name, or at least he thought it was his name. He'd heard it before, he was certain of that. He knew he'd been a soldier…Of course, that was obvious. He could only assume that the form he was currently in was the one he'd had in life, or whatever it was that his kind called their existence, and it was most definitely designed for combat. Actually, most of what he remembered seemed to be little more than what he was deciphering based on his current observations.

Dammit, maybe he did have amnesia.

"Hey, buddy. Welcome back to the world of the living." He looked up, seeing a familiar young Reploid in black and red armor grinning down at him. His first instinct, much to his surprise, was to sigh tiredly at the presence of the orange-haired youth who looked equally suited for combat.

"Or world of the unconscious in this case, I guess. Or dead. Maybe terminated? It's something like that anyway. The place where we Reploids and you…whatever you are, go when we get smashed apart. Or where most of us go. Dunno what happens to the ones that don't pop up around here. A few decades and I still don't know how to describe it, but you know what I mean. The cyber world, and all that."

_He's familiar. A friend? Yes, a friend. A pesky friend, but still a friend. His name is…_"…Axl?"

"Hey, you remembered! I was worried that your mind might be a little more messed up than that. At least things are comin' back pretty quick. Of course, I guess it won't be so clear when you wake up and all. I guess it'll probably be something like what our old buddies at Maverick Hunter HQ used to call the mother of all hangovers. But that's beside the point. Always did tend to get off track when it came to this kind of thing. Hey, remember the time-"

Oh yes, he was quite positive that he'd dealt with this one in the past.

"…You're rambling, kid."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, we've gotta have a little talk, and we don't have much time to do it. Long story short, you've been sealed up for about a century now, a crazy copy of X is exterminating innocent Reploids, me an' the real X are a bit too busy to smack him down, and there's a damsel in distress that needs rescuing. So go, make with the saving." He made a shooing motion with his hands. "Y'know, do your hero thing. I'll try to contact you again when I can."

"What? Wait, what are you-"

"No time, buddy. You've gotta pull a resistance leader out of the fire. But believe me, you can trust the kid."

_What? What's going on!? _"Wait! Axl!"

"And if nothing else, remember that you **are** Zero. Just in case you hear people saying anything else, I mean. Adios, gramps."

_Gramps? Disrespectful little…_

…_Runt._ The odd thought crossed his mind, its meaning not quite registering. Before his eyes had even opened, his left hand shot up to shove the drone's buster out of the way, sending its attack into the wall. He followed up with his right, easily spearing it through the drone's chest, and took a brief moment to glance over the small group before him. Perhaps impaling someone without checking to see who it was might not have been the best course of action, but his instincts had been screaming "danger," and he had no intention of ignoring that warning.

He wasn't exactly certain where he was, or what was going on, but the mechaniloids in the room were quite clearly trying to remove a young, blonde, and most definitely human girl from the area by force. Even ignoring the small voice in the back of his mind telling him that there was a very specific reason that he should be saving her, the situation seemed very simple.

Mechaniloids designed for combat plus a young unarmed civilian equals Maverick attack.

Unless he was just missing something, it was quite obvious that there was some mechaniloid crushing to be done. And so he did. Still grasping the machine's arm, he twirled to his left, ripping his arm from the creature's chest and flinging the ruined drone towards its comrades in a single smooth motion. He dashed forward, easily reaching the group before they'd recovered from being knocked to the ground under their damaged ally. With a flurry of brutal kicks to his downed foes, he knew that the fight was as good as over. All that remained were the two guarding the girl.

Not that he'd been expecting anything less. These things were, to put it quite simply, pathetic. At least in comparison to…

_What? In comparison to what? I know I've fought something stronger, quite a few things stronger, but when? Where?_ He shook his head, clearing the question from his mind. Even if the remaining drones didn't appear to have any kind of ranged weapons, it would be embarrassing to be caught off guard because he happened to be lost in thought.

The drone holding the girl released its grip, mindlessly joining its brother in an attempt to attack him with some kind of energy blade. Zero almost let out a sigh as he easily sidestepped the first of the duo, grabbing its weapon arm and yanking it towards the second, ramming the ignited blade through its head. Reaching back with his other hand as the first drone attempted to escape his hold he casually gripped its head, and with a quick pull, threw it to the side.

He finally looked back to the woman, child really, who was staring at him in shock. Not wanting to stand around doing nothing, he decided to end the somewhat awkward silence.

"What's your name?" His voice seemed to break her out of her trance.

"O-oh, right! I'm Ciel. And you! You're really him! The legendary Reploid, Zero!"

"Zero…" _Yes, Zero. That's my name._ He wasn't sure why he was certain of it. There were a lot of things that he didn't understand at the moment. Still, something was telling him that the girl, Ciel, was right in this case. He **was** Zero, or at the very least, he was **a** Zero. Whether or not he was some kind of legend, on the other hand…

"Please, you have to help me! More of them will be here soon!"

"Hn." As if he could really object. If the green-clad Reploid lying dead on the floor was any indication, she was probably all on her own right now, and it wasn't in him to leave an innocent human at the mercy of these…things. He nudged one of the drones with his foot, looking it over. The design was relatively simple, though he imagined it would have been considerably more difficult for a human to fight one, especially if they weren't well armed.

Either way, inferior as they may have been in comparison to him, he didn't really want to fight through what very well might qualify as a small army with his bare hands. He instinctively grabbed the small cylinder holstered at his hip, and frowned as it sparked and fizzled out when he attempted to activate it.

"Zero?"

_Damaged. Great._ Ignoring the girl's questioning tone he stepped over to the fallen Reploid, searching for some kind of weapon. Though poorly equipped, he was clearly prepared for ca fight, and the drones didn't appear to have any sort of salvageable weaponry. A small gun was just a few feet away, likely thrown from the soldier's grip when he fell, and looked as though it was the only feasible option at the moment. Reaching over, he picked up the weapon and felt a strange sensation pass through his arm, almost as though he'd connected with it, merged with it somehow. It was yet another familiar feeling he couldn't identify to add to the quickly growing list.

"Zero, maybe we should-" She cut off as he turned around.

"Let's go."

They'd barely left the room when the girl's assumption about more of their enemies arriving was proven to be quite true. Before the blue machines could raise their arms, three quick energy shots rang out, ending the trio of drones in seconds. Zero lifted the weapon and looked over it curiously, ignoring it as Ciel poked her head around his shoulder to glance at the weapon herself. It hadn't looked like an energy weapon…

"How strange…Some kind of energy field around the bullets, maybe? No, that's not it…Cerveau would love to see this, I'm sure." Zero didn't bother to answer. She didn't honestly seem to be talking to him anyway. Zero cleared his throat to get her attention, and a pink tinge came over her cheeks when he nodded ahead. Now wasn't a good time for playing with the new toy.

Much to Zero's concern, all further resistance was surprisingly light. Aside from a few odd spider-like mechaniloids, the duo only encountered perhaps seven or eight more or the moderately sized groups, usually three to four each. Ciel was relieved. Zero couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was going on that they were missing. He'd seen more of those dressed like the man who had apparently been protecting Ciel, all dead of course, but he'd only seen a fraction of their enemies strewn across the ground. Clearly Ciel's allies must have considered her valuable (And she must have returned those feelings for her comrades, as each of the deceased was met with a sad, yet grateful look), so the question remained…_Why aren't there more of these things?_

They continued their trek through the facility, Ciel occasionally telling him when they needed to turn, or backtrack, and so on and so forth. He noted that the girl seemed to have an almost perfect memory regarding the building's layout, and that most of their directional issues seemed to be the result of damage. The greater problem, at least in his mind, being that it was damage which couldn't have been done with any of the weapons that he'd seen among his enemies or the deceased. Something else had been here. Something much bigger, and far more heavily armed.

They paused as Ciel glanced around, probably looking for landmarks of some kind. He absently noted that she was fidgeting around, shifting from foot to foot. Probably nervous about an attack. Or, if she wasn't quite as military-minded as him (And he had the feeling that this was the case), perhaps it was simply the silence of what she'd expected to be a violent battlefield.

"So…do you know anything about this place, Zero?" She had the distinct impression that his memory had been damaged in the awakening process. The almost thoughtless manner in which he followed her directions without question only served to reinforce that thought process.

"It was…" A name came to mind, though he wasn't absolutely certain of the connection. "Cain's. Doctor Cain's laboratory."

"Can you remember anything else? About this lab, I mean" He shook his head, and ignored the look of pity she sent towards him. He wasn't a big fan of that particular emotion, and he doubted that he ever had been. They began walking again, and the girl continued.

"I was worried that might be the case. But don't worry, I'm sure it will start coming back to you. A Reploid as advanced as you are most likely had some kind of safeguards in place in case something like this happened…"

"Maybe."

"Well, if it helps, this **was** a laboratory. An ancient one, anyway. I doubt it was around before they came up with Trans Servers though. And their power consumption is incredibly effective. They can last for centuries without use, if they've got a fresh power source. It shouldn't be too hard to find one to take us back to our base." Their came to a halt in front of a crumbled ceiling, mounds of debris blocking their path. She voiced the opinion first, not that he really planned to say it himself in the first place.

"Argh! Looks like it's a dead end. I was hoping it wouldn't have gotten blocked off, but it looks like we'll have to backtra-" She was cut off let out as the floor fell out from beneath her, screaming even as Zero dashed forward in what the human eye would barely perceive as a red blur. Catching her was simple. Slowing their fall, however, was not. He twisted in the air so that his back was to the wall, using the momentum from his charge to drive his feet into the wall. The action was something he must have performed relatively often at some point, because sliding down the wall had been more instinct than anything.

Unfortunately, several decades in a stationary position trapped in a run-down lab didn't do much for a Reploid's legs. Even halfway down, he could feel himself straining not to fall apart as he fought to maintain his balance. Quickly calculating his odds, he decided that simply dropping the rest of the way would probably be **less** damaging than continuing on his current path. And so he did.

At least Ciel's scream only lasted for a brief moment, this time. It was just long enough for him to hit the ground, knees nearly buckling as the steel cracked beneath him. Still, he remained, as always, silent. There was no point in complaining about the pain, and even as he allowed Ciel to slide to her feet, looking at him in a combination of shock, fear, and awe, it was already starting to fade into a dull ache.

"Zero, you just…thank you." She thanked her comrades often. She thanked them for having faith in her. She thanked them for fighting for what they believed was right. She thanked them for protecting her. But she wasn't honestly sure how to properly thank a complete stranger for taking a fall that would have easily killed most Reploids outside of the Guardians and their higher ranking officers, and without a single thought regarding his own safety.

He brushed aside her thanks as thought it wasn't even necessary. If anything, he looked a bit awkward at the praise, eyes turning away in what might have been embarrassment. Apparently he hadn't been all that familiar with such genuine praise, either. Instead, he simply nodded down the hallway, waiting for her to take the lead as he took to observing their surroundings.

With a few more minutes of walking, it became apparent that Lady Luck didn't seem to be interested in the duo that day.

"Another cave in? What should we do now? I don't see a way around, but-" Zero wasn't listening. This wasn't just another collapsed room. This was an **identical** collapse. The same markings in the damaged ceiling, the same pattern of scattered debris, the same small scorches on the larger pieces…

"Get back!" Something had been leading them here, and as a massive fist plunged through the debris to grab the girl in its hands, he cursed himself for noticing so late. It was a trap, and one that would have been obvious if he'd been paying more attention. There was no excuse for being so lax in his duties.

He dashed after the retreating hand, finding himself in a much larger chamber filled with computer monitors (Probably a control center of some kind), facing the mechanical monstrosity that was now quite clearly the culprit behind the destruction he'd noted throughout the labs earlier on. He leveled his weapon on the machine's twisted "face" and prepared to engage it. The girl was screaming again, but this time it was more articulate, more directed. And it was directed at him.

"Zero, what the heck are you doing!? You can't beat this thing with a buster pistol, you've got to run!"

He frowned, feeling somewhat insulted. He didn't run. He **never** ran. Retreating just wasn't his thing. He fired a shot, hitting it directly in the forehead. Its eyes began to glow, clearly an indication of entering some kind of aggressive form, and he tilted his head at the giant.

_Hmph. Annoying._

The other fist shot out, and as he leapt into the air, he was pleased to realize that he didn't need to worry about Ciel. She was obviously wanted alive, rather than dead. On habit, as he landed on the outstretched fist his hand twitched to the saber at his side before he recalled that it wasn't functioning properly. Frustrating. Not the worst he'd faced, but things would be considerably easier if he could simply cut the chains connecting its arm to its shoulder.

The fist began to retract, and had he not noticed the energy building behind what might have likely been considered a mouth on anything else he likely would have attempted to ride it back. As it was, he flipped backwards to the wall just in time to avoid the blast of energy that exploded towards the place he'd just been standing, only barely missing both him and the monster's own retreating limb. Bracing himself, he put all of his power into pushing away from the wall, and rocketed towards it even as it began to charge another attack.

And promptly had the breath knocked out of him as it twisted, metal fist swinging back around to slam him into the ground from above. He rolled to the side as it loosed another blast, the heat of the attack telling him that it had come far too close for comfort. That was twice now that he'd been taken by surprise when he shouldn't have. It was starting to get on his nerves. Before either combatant could act, the monitors lining the room flickered to life. A voice, a far too familiar voice, seemed to echo throughout the room.

"Zero!"

_What…?_

"Use this, now!" A compartment near one of the monitors opened and a small cylinder shot out, the energy blade activating in time to stab into the ground in front of him.

"This is-"

"Hurry! You have to save her! Now!"

_Right!_ But the Golem's fist was already in motion, and Zero was forced to leap atop the weapon once again. And, more quickly than before, the fist whipped back and nearly threw him off balance as it fired another blast of energy. As his legs braced against the wall and he prepared to jump, knowing that doing otherwise would make him little more than an easier target, the world seemed to drop away.

"_**How do you keep doing that?" **_**The young Maverick Hunter shook his head as his friend offered his hand. **

"_**Just focus, X." **_**Zero grinned, igniting his saber again. He'd moved through the ranks of the Maverick Hunters at a nearly unheard of pace, second only to their commander in fact, and had quickly come to enjoy the presence of the blue-armored Hunter.**

"_**Focus? But you're so fast…I can't keep up." **_

"_**You don't need to be as fast as your opponent to win. It's all about trajectory." **_**And he had to admit, he was impressed. X was clearly designed to be capable of combat, but he wasn't designed **_**for**_** combat. And the rate at which he could learn was incredible, something Zero hadn't seen in any of the other hunters. **

"_**Trajectory?" **_**Of course, that was probably one of the reasons why he hadn't improved in rank as quickly as his mentor-friend. He was almost too soft for the job.**

"_**Yeah." **_**He shifted, moving so that his blade was behind him as if to slice downwards on the 'younger' Hunter.**_** "If I was to attack right now, where would it come from?" **_

"_**Well, from behind you, I guess." **_

"_**That's where it would originate, yes. But where would it come from? What path would the blade have to travel if I was to strike right now?" **_

"…_**I get it. It would come down right where my shoulder is, and that's how I avoid it. It's not about ability, it's about analysis. That's how you're always reacting to me so fast. You look for where my attack would have to land, and you dodge that." **_

"_**Right in one, X." **_

He pushed off without hesitation, the memory coming and going more quickly than a human mind would have been able to fully register. Yet this time, the Golem's target wasn't so easy. The Crimson Reploid twisted in mid air and gripped one of the metallic fingers, flipping himself back onto the fist and righting himself in an instant. He was moving before the Golem could even process what had occurred, dashing along the chain and with a familiar feeling of pride, stepped on to its shoulder and drove the blade into the thing's skull. Flipping backwards off of his flailing enemy, he landed on the ground with a grace that would have surprised anyone that had seen his less-than-gentle landing earlier.

Unfortunately, Ciel's fall wasn't quite so soft. It wouldn't be enough to cause any serious damage, for the hand holding her had been close to the ground when it lost control over its basic functions. So odds were that she would feel a little sore, but otherwise fine. On the other hand, the explosion that was clearly inevitable to him at this point would probably be another matter. Just as the energy hit its limit he was above her, even his combat-designed frame shuddering from the force released, but still easily shielding the small girl's body.

As the echoes of the explosion faded, he glanced down and simply observed. Observed as she observed him, as if not believing what she'd just seen. After a few moments of silence he stood, carefully lifting her to her feet as he went.

"I…that was…"

"You alright?" And that's what broke the dam. She lunged at him, and he stared down in confusion as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

"You're him! You really are the legendary Reploid, Zero!"

"…Zero…And what if I'm not?" She let him go, and he cocked his head in curiosity as he noted the odd combination of tears, blushing, and a wide smile that might have looked rather appropriate on her if not for the other two features.

"You just proved it! No one else could defeat a Golem like that! Well, except maybe X or the Guardians…" She shook her head, rubbing her arm across her eyes. "S-sorry about that. I just…I'm just happy."

"We should probably go." She nodded, and eyed the room for a few moments before moving towards a door slightly covered with remnants of the Golem. Lucky for them, the fragments of the war machine were more than light enough for Zero to move aside, and strangely, the lights in the next room came on automatically, as if the power to that particular room had been spared from the weathering of time.

As Ciel rushed over to a device in the center of the room, examining several panels with excitement, he had the feeling this was what they'd been looking for. He voiced the question quietly, briefly, not wanting to interrupt. Besides, the eagerness of her antics was amusing him more than he'd have expected.

"Okay, it looks like everything is still working! You go ahead and get on the Trans Server first, and I'll send you to our base. I just need to make a few modifications to this thing before I head out. You know, erasing data and that kind of thing."

"…Okay."

* * *

AN: Well, hope the quality hasn't dropped too badly. Much like my other fics, I think I'm finally to a point where I'll be able to update more often. I certainly don't intend to let any year long breaks happen, and I'm going to try to keep the largest gaps between chapters in my stories to at **most**, a month or two. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you've got to say.


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